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How to make a slideshow on Windows

You don't need a third-party app.
By
March 1, 2023

Slideshows are a quick and fun way to put a lot of photos on display without needing to skip through every time manually. Windows has a quick and easy way to put one together that doesn’t require any third-party apps. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this guide will help you create an informative and visually appealing slideshow. Here’s how to make a slideshow on Windows.

QUICK ANSWER 

To make a slideshow on Windows, navigate to the folder with the photos on it, and double-click any image to open it in the Photos app. You can also right-click a picture and click Open with -> Photos. Press F5, or click the three-dot menu button at the top, and click Slideshow.

How to make a slideshow on Windows

The process is straightforward. We will use the Photos app from Microsoft that is preinstalled in Windows. The Photos app has the slideshow feature built-in. The simplest way to start this is to navigate to the folder where the images are saved. If you don’t have all the images for your slideshow in one folder, you can copy or move them to a single folder.

Once you’re in the folder that has the photos, double-click on any photo to open it in Photos. If Photos isn’t your default image app, right-click the photo, hover the cursor over it, or click Open with, and click Photos.

Slideshow in Windows Open in Photos
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In the photos app, locate the three-dot menu button, and click it. In the older Windows 10 photos app, this button will be at the top left corner of the menu bar, and in Windows 11, it will be on the menu bar as well, but in the middle, towards the left.

Windows slideshow menu button
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority

Just click the Slideshow button to begin the slideshow. You can also press the F5 button on your keyboard while in the Photos app to start the slideshow. That’s all. Use your keyboard’s right and left arrow keys if you want to go forward or back.

Read more: The best Android emulators for PC and Mac

Setting up a slideshow for later

The Photos app also lets you add a folder to watch a slideshow of the photos later. Open the Photos app by looking for it in Windows search. It will launch in the default view. Click the Folders tab towards the top. Click Add a folder.

Photos app folders menu
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority

A Windows File Explorer window will pop up, allowing you to pick the folder you want to add. Navigate to the folder you want to add, click to select it, and click the Add this folder to pictures button.

Photos app folder selector
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority

The folder will show up in the list. Double-click it to open the photos in it.

Photos app new photo added
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority

Once you’re in the photos view for the folder, click the three-dot menu button at the top right, and click Slideshow.

Photos folder slideshow option
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority

That’s it. The slideshow will run automatically, going from one photo to the next. You can use the arrow keys to control the slideshow as needed.


FAQs

Windows 10 does not have a dedicated slideshow maker, but the Photos app that comes preinstalled includes a slideshow feature that works perfectly.

Some of the top-rated slideshow makers for Windows include Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Premiere Elements, and Icecream Slideshow Maker.